A brief-yet-ongoing journal of all things Carmi. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reach for your mouse to click back to Google. But you'll be intrigued. And you'll feel compelled to return following your next bowl of oatmeal. With brown sugar. And milk.

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Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Chromatic photographic self-portrait

It's always fascinating to look at people's travel photos. Different people can visit the same places, yet they come away with completely different perspectives and experiences.

In my case, I've taken to carrying the little digital camera with me whenever I hit the road. When I'm away for work - as it is on this week's trip to Phoenix - I am often challenged to find time to get out and shoot. The schedule is so packed that I'm lucky if I can grab a few minutes during daylight.

So to ensure I come home with something, I often play photographic games when things are quieter. Morning and evening routines make for fun camera play, especially when the good folks at the hotel had the foresight to install lots of marble and chrome. How did they know I love to shoot these surfaces? Bless them.

Back soon. Will have more to share in the days ahead. For now, I can't wait to get home: I miss my real world and the important people within it.

Your turn: We all know how boring the same old travel photos can be. How do you change perspective and keep it interesting?

17 comments:

I sketch. Quick pencil sketches in yet another book that I carry on trips. Best experiences have been in Istanbul, San Francisco, London, and Paris. (My job does get me out of the house a little, which is really quite nice--but they have also sent me to Frankfurt, so there is payback)

http://hazelnutcoffeegirl.artconspiracy.comclick on the Eye Gallery. that was my 2000-2003 tangent...I get on theme tangents. but mostly when I travel, I don't look for things to shoot, but I shoot what catches my eye. If that makes any sense.

I try to identify the one little thing that grabs my eye in a travel scene and then focus on that. The trouble is we photograph what moves us and what surprises. So, a more sophisticated eye would fail to see that anymore.

I rarely take travel photos of people, most of architecture, closeups of textures, plants, and animals, and things that will help me remember a place. In Amsterdam, photos of the flower market and the bicycles do more to jar my memory than photos of me in a brauncafe would.

I've found that the photos are FAR more interesting if you make sure to get some people in them - you know, the kind you are maybe traveling with or just some interesting locals. Tons of photos of scenery or buildings (unless given some unique angle) get old really fast.